


Coming In Out of the Cold

by sgatazmy (Tazmy)



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:34:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23101036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tazmy/pseuds/sgatazmy
Summary: After getting shot and freezing in a blizzard, John wakes up in the infirmary to the comfort of his team.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 38





	Coming In Out of the Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Written when Atlantis first ended for a ficathon. I’ve been rereading my old fics and found this one only by chance with google. I didn’t want to lose it again so I am posting it here :)
> 
> Beta’d by Sholio and the title is also by Sholio.

Crimson snow blanketed Sheppard’s shivering body. He tried surveying his surroundings but his eyes were glued shut from the frost. He had no idea how far the gate was or even if he was headed in the right direction, but he wasn’t about to lie down and die either. He would not be buried alive.

“Colonel?” Carson’s soft voice was a distant echo in the howling blizzard. 

No, that wasn’t right. Carson wasn’t here. Sheppard was alone against the storm.

“Colonel, I need you to open your eyes. Can you do that for me?”

Something warm clasped his hand, which didn’t make any sense at all because his hand had grown numb hours before. 

“Not real,” Sheppard mumbled, shaking the warmth away.

“You are safe, John. Please, open your eyes.” Teyla’s soothing voice was followed by warmth on his other hand. 

It took everything he had but Sheppard managed to unglue his eyelids. He was welcomed not by snow but by the familiar walls of the infirmary. 

“There, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” Carson smiled kindly while patting Sheppard’s shoulder.

Sheppard blinked away the sleep from his eyes, wondering how long he had been out. There had definitely been a storm, but he couldn’t place when reality had given way to dreams. 

“How are you feeling?” Teyla asked. Behind her, Sheppard noticed Ronon leaning against a bed. His dreadlocks were scattered in numerous directions in the worst case of bedhead Sheppard had ever seen. His team must have been waiting a while for him to wake up. They’d been worried.

“I’m okay.”

There was a snort form the other end of the room. “Of course you are. Hypothermia, a gunshot wound in the arm again, and God knows what else, and you’re the image of perfect health. How could we possibly think any different?” 

Rodney had been looking up from his laptop, but quickly retreated behind the screen after his little tirade. A pile of wrappers and crumpled juice containers surrounded the scientist, testifying to the long wait. Carson must have loved Rodney claiming the infirmary as his own personal office.

“He’s right, Colonel. You’re not fine yet, but you will be. Do you remember anything of the last few days?” Carson’s hand was still on Sheppard’s shoulder. For so many years, Sheppard had shied away from touches and hugs, but there was something comforting in the gesture. Crawling through the snow had made him wonder if he’d ever feel anything again.

Embarrassed, he shrugged away Carson’s hand and Teyla’s grasp. “Days?”

“Aye. You’ve been out cold for the better part of a week. When you were awake, the fever was something awful. Gave us quite the fright.”

“Sorry.”

“You should be,” McKay responded, still huddled beneath the laptop’s glow.

“Rodney!” Teyla warned.

“What? I just lost five days of work waiting for him to wake up. He should be sorry.”

Sheppard was only vaguely aware of the conversation. Whatever stuff Carson had given him, it must have been strong. His head was fuzzy and his body felt heavy and shaky. 

A familiar swoosh marked an infirmary door opening. Sheppard glanced up to see Elizabeth and Lorne entering with relieved smiles.

“About time you woke up,” Elizabeth chided.

“That’s what I told him,” Rodney piped up. 

If Sheppard had the energy, he’d reach for the nearest pillow and toss it at his friend. Lacking said ability, he silently motioned toward Ronon. Ronon immediately understood. He reached over, grabbed a pillow from an empty bed, and threw it across the room.

Rodney yelped. “Hey! What was that for?”

“Nothing. Felt like it.”

Rodney glared but dared not retaliate. 

It hurt to laugh but Sheppard couldn’t help himself.

Carson picked up the pillow with a dangerous glare. “This is an infirmary, gentleman. I’d appreciate you not turning it into a battlefield. Now Colonel Sheppard has had quite the ordeal and he, and I, need sleep. You’ve seen for yourselves that he’s awake and now the lot of you are all going to leave.”

There was a barrage of protests, but Carson raised his hand. “I mean it. You can come back when you’re better rested.”

McKay grabbed his laptop and stalked out of the room, saying he had better things to do than babysit ungrateful colonels. Ronon growled, but Teyla grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room. She didn’t look too happy either. Sheppard had to hand it to Carson. Despite her most furious glare, he had managed to hold his ground.

“You two as well. I’m sure Sheppard needs to—“

“This will only take a few moments,” Elizabeth cut in. 

Carson crossed his arms across his chest.

“It’s good to see you’re okay, Sir,” Lorne offered as Elizabeth and Carson continued their silent staring match.

“Yeah. Miss anything good while I was out?”

“Daedalus returned from Earth and forgot to bring more toilet paper. Also, we discovered Captain Dawers was hiding a stash of chocolate. It led to some interesting poker games.” 

Sheppard nodded, fighting away his own drowsiness. Much as he hated to admit it, Carson was right. He needed to sleep.

“Is there any chocolate left?”

“I saved a few bars for you, Sir. I figure we can come to an agreeable arrangement.”

“Or I could just order you to give them to me.”

“You know the rules, Sir. Chocolate is off limits as far as orders are concerned. We’re not above mutiny when it comes to this stuff.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes, Sir.”

After a pause, Sheppard added, “You come to tell me something or just to threaten me, Major?”

Lorne cleared his throat, straightening his uniform. Elizabeth must have noticed the change, for she turned her attention back to Sheppard and Lorne. Carson slipped out the back, allowing them their privacy.

“What were you doing out there, John?” she asked. 

Sheppard winced. He’d hoped she’d beat around the bush a little more, or maybe give him more time to recuperate.

“My men were out there. I wasn’t going to just leave them.”

“You should have waited it out in the village until help could arrive. Your team was separated but safe. You had no hope of finding the men out in the storm by yourself. We couldn’t get a Puddlejumper out there, and you knew it.”

“Yeah, I know.”

It wasn’t in his nature not to try. What did she expect?

“You did find them, though, didn’t you, Sir?” Lorne asked, shuffling uncomfortably. 

“Yeah.” He didn’t say much more because anything else would have been too morose, too painful.

“You didn’t ask about them. It’s always the first thing you ask when you wake up.”

Sheppard couldn’t deny it. He’d traversed most of the storm only to find them both. A clean shot had passed through each of their heads. The Kolai, the local bad guys that raided the nearby villages for sport as well as need, had found them long before Sheppard could. It wasn’t long after that that the Kolai had found him. They might have hit his shoulder, but Sheppard hit their hearts.

“I notified their families already,” Lorne added. “I know you prefer to do that yourself, but we weren’t sure how long you’d be out.”

“It’s okay. That was the right call.”

Lorne nodded, stepping back. “Take care of yourself, Sir.”

“I always do.”

“You have a hell of a way of showing it,” Elizabeth said, watching him carefully. He’d almost forgotten she was there.

“What else would have me do? Leave them out there? That’s not my style and it’s not yours.”  
“You could’ve died.” 

Lorne shuffled nervously again, taking a step back while watching the two leaders with apprehension.

“What do you want me to say? I’m sorry? I won’t do it again? You know me better.”

Two people had died and nothing could change that. Back in training they’d always said the hardest part about leadership was having to lose people. It wasn’t something one could get used to. 

“Get some sleep, John,” Elizabeth finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. She patted his shoulder and made for the exit, only to be run over by an excited Rodney who was waving a DVD in the air. Behind him, Teyla and Ronon were smiling, each still looking as disheveled as before.

“We completely failed to show Ronon Ghostbusters,” Rodney said. “He has no idea of the wonder that is the marshmallow man. That is completely unacceptable and we must fix it now!”

“Rodney,” Elizabeth said. “Carson was very clear that…”

“He didn’t say how long we had to leave,” Teyla added defensively. "We were gone, I believe, an entirely sufficient time." 

“And it’s Ghostbusters!” Rodney exclaimed. “The movie is completely ridiculous and inaccurate and Ronon hasn’t seen it yet!”

Elizabeth’s mouth opened but no words came out. She glanced at Lorne almost as if looking for assistance.

“Ghostbusters is an important movie,” Lorne remarked.

Seeing there was no point in arguing, Elizabeth shook her head and pulled up a chair. 

Sheppard wasn’t really cognizant enough to see the movie, but he’d memorized it in his college years. Instead, he listened to Rodney arguing about the poor science and Ronon trying to figure out how a marshmallow man could possibly be scary. 

As he leaned against the bed frame, Sheppard’s eyes kept threatening to close. Behind his eyelids a blizzard waited, but he wasn’t alone and that made all the difference.

**Author's Note:**

> I miss Atlantis. I love revisiting these old friends.


End file.
